Wichita eagle., 1887-01-15
HANGNAN'S DAY.
CIuverius, the Seducer and Murderer
of his Cousin, Executed at
Richmond,

RICHMOND. Va, Jan lon the morn
ss,g Of March 18th, 1885, L. Rose, keeper
II the old city reservoir in the western part
of the city, in making his usual rounds Of
inspection, discovered the body Of We
man in the reservoir. He at once notified
the coroner, who had the body taken from
the water. 1t proved TO he that Of good
looking woman Of about % years. The
coroner, after viewing the remains, pro-
nounced it case Of suicide, and had the
body removed 10 the city aims house for
identification Peter J. Burton. reporter
of the Richmond Dispatch, subsequently
went to the reservoir and then the morgue,
and his investi cations resulted in the form
ulation Of the murder theory upon chain
d. circumstanlial evidence which convinced
Hnany minds Further examination Of the
body disclosed the fact that the young
woman was far advanced in pregnancy
During tao days many people SAW the
BODY and il was finally recognized by two
young ladies, the Misses Dur stan, as G
friend of theirs, Miss Fannie Lillian Madi
son, who had been teaching school in Bath
county,
The coroner's inquest resulted in a yer
dict of probable murder. Detectives and
police set to work and in short time
brought to light circumstances that added
strength To the murder theory The wO-
man who had registered at a German hotel
March 18th, under the name Of Miss T. l..
b Morton Was missing from the hotel. and
her disappearance aud the finding Of the
body about the same time furnished fatal
clue. but for which the murderer might
never have been known.
While the 80 called Miss Norton was ct
the hotel >he wrote aud received several
notes. but ono directed 10y her was never
delivered. aud after her departure from the
hotel it WAS torn TO pieces by the CLERK and
cast into the waste basket Scraps OF this
note and envelope were Subsequently
brought 70 light. and was found 10 be adj
dressed to T J Cluverius.
Further inquiry developed the fact that
the man was 4 young lawyer and a cousin
of deceased The discovery of this note
led Ia the arrest Of CluveriuS, who was
known to have been in Richmond on
March Il He was found at the residence
Of his aunt. Mrs TunStall in King aud
Queen county. and brought 10 this city.
He waived preliminary examination; was
indicted in April for murder and his trial
began at the Nav term Of court and con
tinued for twcnIy-eight days. The evil
dence placed upon the prisoner the brand
of seducer aud murderer. and when able
counsel on both sides had concluded their
efforts for and against the accused, the
iury. after but a few minutes consideration.
rendered 4 verdict Of murder IN the first
degtee and CluverIus Wa sentenced 10 be
hanged November %, 1885. Appeal was
taken To- The supreme CnUrt OF the United
States. but tt+. court affirmed the judgment
OF the lower court He was then resen-
: fenced 10 be hanged December 10, 1886.
As a last resort the chief executive was
finally appealed TO for pardon or commuta-
ton Of sentence to life Imprisonment, but
the governor, after giving the case most
consi,Ieraie attention, could fiud no reaSr n
for interfering Wit the mandate OF the
court He however. Tespited the con
demned man until today.
At S minutes past | o'clock CluvcriuS
was hanged He died without making
any confession. and speaking through Dr.
Hatcher. his minister, said that in this mo-
ment of death nearing the grave. he had NJ
i'll will towards any man GA earth. Iedled
by sirangula'ian
The BODY was placed in plain wooden
coffin and turned over to the undertaken TO
: be prepared for burial at bis former home
In King and Queen county, The doomed
mans Brother h,de him farewell Yesterday.
His aged father ard mother. owing t.
feeble health did not come to the city.